BILLINGS — Just a few years after facing a multimillion-dollar monthly shortfall, Billings Clinic is now heading into what leaders say is its busiest year yet.
Beds are full. Teams are staffed. And CEO Dr. Clint Seger is now splitting his time between Billings and Kalispell, leading the combined Billings Clinic-Logan Health system across Montana.
“The days are busy,” Seger said. “I’m halftime in Kalispell and I’m halftime in Billings right now…”
Seger was recently named sole CEO of the unified health system, expanding its footprint across the state.
“We have 22 hospitals that we are partnered with…” he said.
Seger said those partnerships are key to serving patients in both urban and rural communities.
“If you are in the most rural place, or you are in Billings or downtown Kalispell, that you have the highest-level tools, capabilities to be able to deliver care,” he said.
From shortfall to stability
The current momentum follows a difficult stretch in 2023, when the hospital system faced a $4.5 million monthly shortfall.
Leaders announced a company-wide hiring freeze, halted capital projects and cut pay for doctors and executives. At the time, Seger warned it would take time to right the ship.
“Just a lot of things have come together that we’ve been very fortunate to focus on and that has not been easy as we’ve talked about,” he said.
Since then, recruitment numbers have increased, easing the system’s dependence on traveling staff, a crucial staffing lifeline during the pandemic, but one that came with a steep price tag.
In April, Billings Clinic also reached a new agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield after more than a decade without raising reimbursement rates. Rising health care costs had pushed the two sides back to the negotiating table.
“I think it’s really important that two organizations can have honest and transparent conversations,” Seger said.
Competition and growth
The system continues to face challenges, particularly in anesthesiology, where national staffing shortages have created intense competition.
“Doesn’t mean that there aren’t some challenges. Anesthesia continues to be an area where there is a lot of competition in the country to recruit,” Seger said.
The hospital landscape in Billings is also shifting. Intermountain Health is building a 14-story hospital across the street, while Billings Clinic has purchased the former Cherry Tree Inn property as part of its long-term plans.
Seger said the focus remains on expanding services and strengthening care.
“I think the work we’ve been putting in on being a high-quality and efficient hospital is really paying off,” he said.
As patient numbers climb, Seger said the system is steady and looking ahead.
New ways to deliver what he calls world-class care, he said, are on the horizon.
